...some of the arguments, particularly in the sections on health care and student debt, are more exacting than others; a section on foreign policy is sensible but covers familiar ground. Overall, though, this is an intelligent call for practical reform.

Some readers may balk at Quart’s concern over the “psychological burden” facing upper-middle-class denizens in overpriced cities, but she offers excellent discussions of co-parenting, the problems facing immigrants, and the perils of enrolling in for-profit schools.

...she becomes a character with apparent sympathies for the individual plaintiffs and their hardworking lawyers, but her reporting is, for the most part, evenhanded. A solid addition to the burgeoning literature on the social and health-related effects of fracking.

Even at its most gossipy, the narrative bulges with insight into the musicians whose paths he crossed, from the delicate internal chemistry of Talking Heads and Madonna’s armour-plated ambition to his fruitful encounters with Lou Reed and Brian Wilson late in their careers, before his own career began to wind down in a tangle of boardroom politics.

No border wall can impede an inescapable fact: Mexico and the United States are inextricably joined to one another culturally, economically, and politically...An evenhanded, reasoned contribution to an overheated discussion.

There are no shortcuts, for aquaculture doesn’t work for lobsters, and other species are dwindling alongside the crustaceans...A solid demonstration of why those who have a taste for lobster rolls better eat up while they can.

That said, the element of pleasure or at least satisfaction cannot be denied. For Bloodworth is the best young leftwing writer Britain has produced in years. And it is not only the exploited who are lucky to have him.

Brill methodically chronicles the deterioration of US infrastructure, the outsized influence of money on politics and growing inequality. But he pulls his punches when it comes to laying out the social divide. Citing JD Vance doesn’t get him off the hook.

The problem with Bullshit Jobs is that the first two‑thirds is essentially an elaboration of his original, brilliant intervention. Graeber uses the hundreds of messages he received in response to his essay as source material, quoting testimonies at length. This puts the cart before the horse...

Given the nature of the family, the story is often so dour that sometimes only the historical minutiae keep you going. (If you ever wanted to know more about the fascinating probate-inventory process of 18th-century France, you're in luck.)

There's enough food for thought in Us vs Them to fill a heavyweight tome, but the book is a deceptively slim read. It's one of the most balanced and informed viewpoints I've read, touching on a whole host of ideas.